


Ardent

by Slither-the-least (baeberiibungh)



Series: Fucked Out [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Established Relationship, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff and Angst, GenderFemme, Genderqueer, M/M, Vow renewal, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 07:40:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14689548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeberiibungh/pseuds/Slither-the-least
Summary: Derek felt his face hurt from how wide he was smiling. His lover looked so beautiful…





	Ardent

**Author's Note:**

> (Sooooooooooo, there were some fics promised about 2 years ago. This, sadly, is not any of those. This is a standalone fic and one does not need to read the others to get this.)

Stiles was walking with one arm wrapped around Derek’s arm while with the other they were scrolling through their phone. They just had a nice date with a dinner and a movie and they were walking home at a leisurely pace, the nippy weather being perfect for it. Derek was ambling along and looking at where they were going, his eyes drifting to their spouse every now and then and watch with fond attachment as Stiles bit their lips in concentration and trusted Derek enough to get them home in one piece. 

Stiles caught something bright and white from the corner of their eye and turned their head to look at the source of the bright illumination. They slowed down their walk, arm going slack and eyes wide as they looked on at the display window of the store they were passing. This particular strip of shops had opened recently and Stiles hadn’t had the chance to check them out, but now they stood transfixed, pupils caught on the sheer amount of fabric that was displayed on the window. 

It was a wedding dress, white and big, cascading down to the ground in frilly sheaves of clothes that looked soft like clouds. The black mannequin also sported a tiara that sat on its head, sparkling like diamonds and a white shoe peeking out from under the dress. It looked absolutely gorgeous. Stiles stopped walking entirely, their body facing the shop window now as they stared in awe at the beautiful dress. Derek had stopped as well, but that was just white noise to Stiles at that point. 

“What is it, baby?” asked Derek, he too looking at the wedding gown now.

“I, uh, um, this is very beautiful,” Stiles stuttered out.

“Want to try it on?” Derek replied immediately.

Stiles whipped his head around and uttered a “What?” at him.

“The dress. The frilly white dress. Do you want to try it on, Stiles?” Derek asked more softly.

“I, I don’t think they will let me,” Stiles answered in a faint voice. 

“Well, I know that you are wrong about that. This is Jackie’s new store. I doubt she will let you not try anything here,” Derek answered back with a smile.

Stiles’ eyes widened as they understood the implication of what Derek was saying. Jackie was one of Talia’s oldest friends, someone who had come to the Hale house countless times, had been there for the wedding, and has even visited them when Stiles was sick that time. Jackie was also a trans woman, a silent pillar of support to Stiles when the room had felt like too much filled with ‘normals’. Stiles knew Jackie and knew that Jackie would indeed let Stiles try on anything in that store.

“Maybe it’s closed? Or too full right now to accommodate us?” Stiles quirked an eyebrow at Derek as they turned back to the display window.

“We won’t know if we don’t go in. Com’on, I think that is the entrance,” Derek pointed as he started pulling Stiles along to a door near the window display, muted brown and a small plaque labeling it as Jackie’s. 

Stiles let themselves be steered into the door that lead to a few short steps into a wide shop that had dressed dripping off hangers. Long walls of them, that sparkled and shimmered under the bright light. There was no one in the shop as far as Stiles could see. Letting their hand slip from Derek’s Stiles stepped upto one that looked rather nice.

Stiles was too immersed in the dresses to notice when footsteps headed towards them. They even jumped a little when a voice trilled out, “Boys! Oh when did you come? I didn’t even realize. Derek, so good to see you. Stiles honey, like anything you see?”

Stiles immediately stepped back, jerking their hand to their back as if scalded as they looked up feeling a mite guilty. They grinned at the person and intoned warmly, “Jackie.”

“That would look very good on you, you know. The light ivory would really suit your skin. The embellishment are understated but sophisticated and comes with a tiny little heirloom comb,” Jackie smiled at Stiles.

Stiles’ cheeks went pink as they said, “Oh, I am just looking. It would be, be foolish to buy anything. I mean, we are already married and all, ha ha.”

“Well, yes of course, you are married, almost 5 years to the date if I remember correctly. But. A wedding is different. You could buy anything here and have a brand new wedding of your own,” Jackie replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. 

“Um, I…just want to look for now…” Stiles said, eyes going back to the dresses.

“Of course honey, you do that. I will be in the back of the shop if you need anything. The changing room is towards the right end of the shop. Look around as you wish, OK? Derek, come have a cup of coffee with me,” Jackie stepped away without looking back as Derek followed after sending a fond look at Stiles.

Stiles watched them go, knowing without a doubt that if they called either of them back, they would not hesitate to return. This was them giving Stiles their freedom and space to look over everything. It was also an implicit permission for Stiles to try on anyone of the dresses.

So Stiles turned back to the dresses and browsed with a light heart. There were fishtail gowns, mermaid gowns, fairytale gowns, simpler ones that fell down in waves of fabric that rippled and mover with Stiles’ touch. There were different colours, different styles, length, necks, material and whatnot in addition to quite a bit of accessories. 

In the end, Stiles ended up picking 7 that they liked best and headed to the changing room. But their happy mood soured gradually as they tried all the 7 dresses. 

When Stiles stepped out back of the changing room, dresses back in their hangers and to be placed where they had picked up them from, Stiles saw Derek and Jackie talking amicably by the cash register. Derek turned when he heard and saw Stiles step in and waved back at him and his smile faltered a bit. Probably could smell the sudden misery rolling off Stiles at the moment. Already concerned, Derek stepped towards Stiles to ask if Stiles was OK but Stiles just gave a minute shake of their head. 

Derek stilled, no less concerned, but understanding that Stiles did not want to talk about it in front of Jackie, as good as a family friend she already was. Stiles put back the dresses and came to the cash register, a tremulous slime on his lips as he tried his best to be OK for the sake of Jackie.

“Anyone of them catch you eyes love?” Jackie asked enthusiastically.

“I don’t think wedding dresses are quite the thing for me Jackie. Thanks for letting me still try them out. It was fun,” Stiles answered back.

Jackie could not hear the steady heart beat or smell the pinprick of sharp sadness when Stiles uttered the first line. Derek could and his hands went out before he could stop them, rubbing Stiles back in comfort.

“Oh boosh! Wedding dresses are perfect for everyone. If it was upto me, I would have everyone marry in beautiful dresses all the time. If you were looking for a particular design or style, I could make it up for you. We do couture wedding gowns too. My head tailor is quite adept at updating and altering gowns as well. You would look so beautiful in a wedding gown Stiles,” Jackie went on.

Derek found a snarl trying to crawl out of his throat at the hint of salt in the air, knowing that Stiles was sad enough that they were suppressing their tear as best as they could. Overcome with protectiveness, Derek wrapped himself completely around Stiles and pulled them to his side, and with a very curt ‘later, Jackie’ that startled Jackie out of her amiable air, practically sweeped the both out into the colder air in the sidewalk. Derek did not look back but he was sure that Jackie was peering after the abrupt leaving couple. 

They walked briskly, a good way away from the shop and the shop area outright before Derek though of slowing down. Except, as soon as he slowed down their walk, Stiles turned in his arms and hugged him tightly, still smelling so much like sad and lonely that Derek could do nothing but hold back just as tightly. 

They stood like that for a minute or two before Stiles stepped away. With a small kiss to Derek’s lips, a silent ‘thank you’ and ‘I love you’ in tandem, Stiles mirrored the position they were in before going into the shop and started walking back home.

It is only two weeks later that Derek is able to bring up the impromptu visit to the bridal dress store. Stiles had been initially too sad, then moody and despondent before settling back into his skin. Derek deferred as much as he could but didn’t want to wait too long. Stiles had wanted a dress. The way they had looked at the dresses had been pure want and need. And Derek knows all about Stiles’ desires. Derek knew that look. Recognized that abject misery from those heady ancient days of first dating Stiles, still in school and his own skin fitting him wrong.

It had been an absolutely amazing journey since then. The explorations along Stiles’ sexual and identity axises had been profound and deep, but there were days still, swatches of time when the old feelings and insecurities would rear their head. 

Now, as Derek lay on the bed, his breath slowed down enough from the gallop just minutes prior as he had trust into Stiles, his hands rubbing their sticky cum together on Stiles’ belly, that Derek finally dared to ask, “Did you really not want a wedding dress baby?”

Derek immediately cursed himself. Stiles went steel rigid and still in his hands. That lazy pleasure that was swirling through his body dissipating immediately as well. But Derek had already dug his grave and he would lie in it gladly for Stiles. So he curled his hand around Stiles more securely, pulling him more into his body and kissed the point of his shoulder, before whispering out another plaintive ‘baby?’ at Stiles. 

Stiles took a deep breath before relaxing into Derek’s hands again. They continued to pull in slow breaths, stalling and preparing themselves to have this conversation. When Stiles had decided that they are stable enough to continue, they rolled over in the cage of Derek’s arm to face him and read his face to find anything other than what they wanted at the moment. Perhaps they found it because next thing they know, they were talking.

“When, when my mom was alive, one thing we used to do a lot on the days dad would come late was watch hallmark movies. It was always straight couples and the couple overcoming weird shit before finally falling in love. Almost always those movies would end in a wedding. The bride, no matter how she looked prior, would look absolutely beautiful in those wedding dresses. I mean, the ugly duckling trope was quite the rage but yeah. And it was not the makeup or the light or whatever. They looked happy and like they knew at that moment that they were beautiful too. It was, it, it was this kind of weird affirmation that they are beautiful that came from inside.”

“I had wanted a wedding dress too. Like that. A magical one. One that not only made me look beautiful but also make me _feel_ beautiful. But I never dared to try one, always afraid that they would shatter the illusion that I could be beautiful one day in the brighter future. Like I would have earned enough, I don’t know, effort or something, and would totally get to have a wedding dress at the appropriate moment because I would have deserved one by then. So I never tried one. Till. Well, till.”

Derek stuck his nose into Stiles face, close enough that both went a bit cross eyed trying to keep their focus on the other. Stiles was smelling sad again. Derek did not like that. But Stiles was talking on their own so he just scented them minutely as they kept talking.

Stiles continued, “That day, when I tried the dresses, Derek, I thought I had earned enough acceptance about myself from myself that I could be beautiful in it. I had this image in my brain where I had proved my earlier misgivings and thoughts wrong and would feel as beautiful as, as you make me feel. But. They. Those dresses. The ones I tried, all of them left me feeling so ugly. It was the way they looked on my body. It just. It felt ,em>so wrong. The cinched waist sat on my stomach and fanned out but I only looked like I was playing dress up or something. Those didn’t look like _my_ dress or for me, just a dress. I don’t know why that felt so monumental but it did.”

After sometime, Derek pulled back a bit and started rubbing his thumb over the curve of Stiles’ cheekbone. “Maybe it was just the dresses you know. Those were not made for you, or rather your body type, but if you want one, I know Jackie would have no problem designing one exclusively for you. Perfect for you. Only if you want to of course. I mean it is important enough for you that you don’t want to go for anything that does not feel like an visual representation of you. So, maybe, talk to Jackie. She will get you. Understand you. Get you only what you want. You want to?” Derek ended.

Stiles bit his lips before turning his molten gold and brown eyes on Derek. Huffing out a breath, Stiles said, “Maybe. Maybe. Not today. Not right now.”

“Good enough for me,” Derek said curled around Stiles again. 

And that is how Stiles found themselves walking down the aisle, hand wrapped around their father’s arm and the other holding a very sweet smelling bouquet smiling at everyone as they walked towards their Derek. There were coos of adoration from their friends, everyone smiling widely at the father child duo as they walked towards the front. It was Stiles and Derek’s 5th marriage anniversary which they were celebrating with a vow renewal ceremony. The whole Hale clan had descended for the occasion, some coming as far as possible to see the wedding. All of Stiles’ friends and Derek’s friends were there too, phones in their hand as they took videos and pictures of the ceremony.

Stiles wore a dress of pure white lace, boat necked and looking so very delicate. The lace splayed on their front, the fabric spread in a wide swath, wrapped to the shape of their body, no bodice, but a corset keeping the fabric in place while dainty lace straps lay on the edge of the shoulder making the neckline stand out in a mix of straight and semi circle shape. Lower, the dress was just waves and waves of overlaying fabric. A satin belt in pale lavender was tied around their waist. A tiny tiara like circlet was placed within the waves of Stiles’ loosely flowing locks and the fingerless kid gloves were pale pink, almost the same pastel shade as the belt. 

Derek felt his face hurt from how wide he was smiling at the sight. His lover looked so beautiful. Derek had to repeatedly thank his lucky starts that Stiles said yes to marrying him, not only once but twice. He could not believe that his love could grow more deep or intense, but loving Stiles was easy. It was vital. And it somehow managed to grow even better with each passing moment. And here Stiles was, the love of his love, the beat of his heart, the exact and precise reason for his happiness and they look ravishing.

‘My love for you is ardent’, Derek remembers reading somewhere. But it is only with Stiles that Derek understands and appreciates how deep that well runs. 

It is a beautiful ceremony. Everyone cries, even Talia who officiates. And Stiles blooms.

**Author's Note:**

> please don't ask me how the dress is, i have no knowledge of fashion, just hope it was cohesive enough. I do not have a beta . please kudos and comments.


End file.
